smooth newts that lay eggs in soil or sand

[beljune]

Hi, everyone on here seems to agree that smooth newts lay their eggs in the water on leaves. My newts lay theirs in the ground which has clay and sand in it and the other day I was planting peas in a growbag that I had previously used and left on the ground only to find that they have lad eggs in that as well!
Has anybody else come across this? If it helps I am in Bury, Lancs

[The Woodman]

Are the eggs you are finding in the growbags single eggs or in small clumps?

[Gill Catton]

Yes newts just don't lay eggs on land. so must be another mother!! do you have any pictures?

[aeshna5]

I wonder whether the eggs you're seeing aren't those of snails or slugs?

[Kayleigh]

Have you seen the newt could it be a lizard or snail eggs can you get a pic of the eggs.

[King Edward]

I agree, sounds like snail eggs.

[beljune]

Hi all, they are definatley smooth newts and their eggs, they are laid in groups round the garden, all the gardens round here have newts, I've lived here for over 20 years and each year they are there. Found more in some abandoned compost on sat & some newts as well. Not snail eggs.

[beljune]

will try to upload pics this week atsome point.

[~T~]

Newts lay their eggs in spring, in water and singly. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that I'm 100% what you are seeing is not newt eggs. It does sound like slug/snail eggs and coincidently adult newts may be hiding in the same places slug/snail eggs would be laid (by this time newts have left the water to live in their terrestrial phase under rocks/leaves/woodpiles etc).

[Mark_b]

If they turn out to be newt eggs then I will eat my hat hehe.

I can appreciate the connection between seeing all those newts and the eggs in close proximity to each other but it is just a coincidence. Slugs/snails lay their eggs in moist habitats and terrestrial newts also like to stay moist.

Most British newts will have stopped laying now (in water), hence why many are on land. Newts lay single eggs, not in groups. The eggs need to be submersed in water to develop, some species of non-UK amphibians have adapted to keep their eggs on land for most of the development, but they need to be returned to the water when they hatch as the gilled larvae need the water.

If you go on google images and search slug eggs and then search newt eggs and let us know what they look like. Apologies if you have found a new species of newt